Show REMARKS made at a the semiannual semi annual conference va 1 the tabernacle salt lake city T utah gotaj wednesday morning october 6 1897 by J 0 KIM BALli I 1 feel very humble my brethren and fl stere I 1 have discovered in my short adreen that I 1 dont amount to very altuch ten that all that I 1 have tried to 46 within myself I 1 have failed in the blessing of real comfort that I 1 y e received to is in laboring in the LEV try some men axe are more easily than others and as fax far as I 1 desire to be concerned it I 1 aun i I 1 in what I 1 say and I 1 ho hope e it I 1 3 may be moved upon by 91 choly tholy oly ghost for I 1 can testify to the iren r eu of men thet that I 1 know what the r ghost is that thai is I 1 know what its lence e d is I 1 kentow that I 1 have felt that joy that peace that satisfaction OV burning within me that comes of the spirit of the I 1 t abe h e influence b have a lve labored tor for the past six k in company with apostle ly through the southern part of the ui aate largely in the interests of the 0 vs W mens mutual improvement ocia ion tion and I 1 discover discover in associate among the people that there is in a sit missionary work to be performed at home there are something twenty five ave thousand young men fourteen up to my age and only i TV email percentage st gt that number are laboring earnestly and at ar to gain information and knowl we pertaining to this great work talk about your missionary fields of labor talk jalk about the nations of the ath 1 I comprehend th that atthe the angel came we with its message that the gos cos 1 eel might be preached to every nation kindred to every tongue and entry e but I 1 want to testify to you 55 brethren skid and sisters that the ris v xene ration at home are being sheeted sleeted they are not being reached arta priesthood of god and if there any place on the great earth where re needs an awakening and an up ienir it itis is right here in zion and I 1 at to say to you the fathers and mothers are helpless and they kw not mot what to do I 1 know the UM toot too and the sin will wih rest upon parents ento they have not followed i counsel enoel to instruct their children ken they are young president Q cannon said we were in hi bondage t to a certain extent because aw bad not followed counsel and I 1 want to testify that it is true and I 1 apt arant to say pay that there to is a great sin resting upon some of the fathers and others heers because they have not Wt 8 u their children faith repent attice and the reception of holy ghost when hen they were eight y cef old and they are now reaping anft borrow of their neglect we feea I 1 take the position that hat e heed one hundred to start out with to cown commence mence this mission here at tsoa and I 1 dont know before they get through with it but they will have to preach on the street corners like the elders do in the states and in europe A part of our labors in the southern part of the state were in the interest of a new magazine for the general board of the young mens associations have discovered that it to Is absolutely impossible to reach the four hundred and ninety one associations in the church without a magazine but in that number of associations we have young men that are enrolled with an attendance perhaps of eight thousand there to is something like ten thousand that are not enrolled and this missionary work must be begun in n our associating among the people we discovered and I 1 want to testify I 1 to what one of the brethren spoke in reference to that matter that our people are not a reading people thy do not diligently read the bible the book of mormon and the book of doctrine and covenants I 1 want to say to you that I 1 was so surprised that I 1 have not language to express it when we discovered how bow few of our people with the numerous hosts of children there are that are taking the juvenile instructor why we found places where a few years ago they took thirty or forty juveniles in some instances they are only taking three or four now if that is not proof enough that they are not reading why I 1 dont know what other proof you want we have however been sustained by the people of the south and in the stakes of st george and kan ab and panguitch and parowan carowan we have met with a very kindly reception and I 1 believe there has been a reawakening but I 1 want to say to the people if you will permit me something I 1 have on my mind here 1 I would like to read to you a little from the th 0 doctrine do C and covenants to show you the condition that we are in some of us it to is a revelation given to oliver cowdery it seems that hp he had the gift of translation and he be was somewhat Impat impatient lent and the lord spoke to him in this manner and I 1 want to apply this to the rising generation era tion I 1 want to apply it to the lat ter day saints from the age of fourteen to ninety we expect all of them to join the young mens association between those ages and as apostle lyman said there Is not anybody permitted to join the association who is older than president woodruff we believe that men who axe are aged should study just as much as young men I 1 want to ask the latter day i saints if that to Is a true doctrine that when a man gets old he should quit teaming learning and stop studying and cease i to progress I 1 want to read you what the lord has said in this line speaking to oliver cowdery behold you have not understood you have supposed that I 1 would give it unto you when you took no thought save it was to ask have you misunderstood my brethren and sisters have you fancied that all you have to do to is to ask and you shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you and if you lack wisdom ask of god who to all men liberally and upbraid eth not and that you can sit bit down and make no other effort As one of the brethren expressed it 1 I fancy that the minds of some of us are chloroformed chloro formed and we have imagined that we would be saved in our ignorance when the lord has said whatever intelligence you attain unto in this life will rise with you in the resurrection now he taught this lesson to oliver cowdery but behold I 1 say unto you that you must study it out in your mind then you must ask aak me if it be right and if it is right I 1 will cause came that your bosom shall burn within you therefore you shall feel that thal it is right now these are the last day 8 spoken of by the prophets these are the perilous times and I 1 want to say to you that mountains of obstructions will be placed before this people and if you have not been tried you will be if you have not been tested you will be before you gain eternal life and before we pass our opinion unwisely as we do it Is well tor for us to study it out in our minds I 1 am fearful that some of the latter day saints simply come to the leow leaden dero and listen to the servants of god and they never study it out in their minds they never go to the written word and compare it with the servants of god in their doctrines and teach teachings bla and consequently they are unable tok judge righteously and they are losing confidence their confidence to Is being shaken and they are unable to judge because they have not first studied it out in their minds because as a veople people we are mentally basy I 1 will say that because I 1 do not expect to preach here again for a long time if any of us have got a bad taste in our mou mouth th for anything that has transpired why let us repent let us study it out in our minds and then go to our father in humility and ask him it if it to is right and if it to is right he will cause a burning within our bosoms and we e shall know that it to is right but if it be not right we shall have no such feelings but we shall nave have a stupor of thought and how greatly blessed are we in that direction we are all blessed more or loss less with a stupor of thought but I 1 pray the lord to bless this thie veople people why you are a wonderful people the lord has blessed you as he has blessed no other people he has given you the holy ghost remember how particular he was with his apostles with his servants that he sent out to preace the gospel he promised them the holy ghost whom hom the world cannot receive and we oe are in a different situation to I 1 what the world is As paul says what 1 t know ye not that ye are the temp temples I 1 of the holy ghost and that ye are pot not your own and if any man defile the tate temple of god him shall God destroy tor for the temple of god to is holy which temple ye are now I 1 want to say sav to you people in soberness and ak with afa I 1 dont want to be an laimit stion tai mit I 1 donit dont want to be a revivalist but I 1 want to say to you the great vin urn that to is creeping in among this peo pie together with other worldly sins to is the sin of adultery this ts to creeping in amongst us and in some instances our dau aters are running the streets an aa common harlots and we seemingly cannot help ourselves but I 1 want to say to you there needs be an awakening enin I 1 want to tell you there needs to be a fear planted in the hearts of the youn people take the book of mormon go to the page and read what alma said to his son cori anton who had left the ministry and had followed after the harlot isabel he told him what a terrible crime adultery was that it was next to the shedding of innocent blood 0 1 I am fearful that our young people do not comprehend that great sin that is creeping la a amongst us and as the prophet joseph said a man that commits adultery cannot enter into the celestial kingdom of god if he enters any kingdom it will not be the celestial kingdom of god I 1 pray that our people may be moved upon to be a virtuous to be an honest to be a faithful people this Is the prayer of toy my heart in the name of jesus amen 1 |